


Midnight In Venice

by megloveslokitooomuch



Series: Strangefrost Oneshots [15]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, Pre-Doctor Strange, until endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:02:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26326828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megloveslokitooomuch/pseuds/megloveslokitooomuch
Summary: (Title is inspired by the Woody Allen film, Midnight In Paris)In an alternate universe, Loki and Dr Strange meet before Stephen becomes a sorcerer. Their attraction is static.They meet again, years later.Did that night mean more to Loki than it did to Stephen?Will he ever find out how Stephen truly feels about him?Or will fate - Thanos - get in the way?
Relationships: Loki/Stephen Strange
Series: Strangefrost Oneshots [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1784323
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

Loki landed gracefully from the Bifrost onto one knee in a forest outside the city. He got up and dusted some soil off of his coat before beginning the short walk into Venice, Italy. He needed a break from Asgard, from being king and most of all - from being Odin. He hadn't realised how taxing being a great old man was going to be. Here, where almost nobody knew him, he could be himself and finally spend some time alone.

He strode down a cobblestone street, glancing up at the ancient buildings to his right, and down at the beautiful canal to his left. Venice was an exquisite city and Loki felt peace settle inside him as the only sounds reaching his ears were those of his shoes on stone. 

He turned up an alley into another street, which was much busier than the previous one. A hotel towered over the pedestrians lining the pavement and a little restaurant was cooped up on the corner. He smiled. The perfect place to spend the night. He couldn't be away from Asgard for too long, so one night would have to do.

He checked into the hotel with a flawless Italian dialect, a wondrous advantage of his Allspeak, and dropped his coat on the humongous down feather bed in his luxurious room. The afternoon was bleeding into evening as he walked over to the little harbour next to the canal. He sat down onto a bench, watching the sun set over the turquoise water and red roofs.

The air grew cold and as the people milling around the busy street dispersed, Loki returned to the hotel. He walked through the lobby and waited after pressing the elevator button.

The elevator doors opened and capturing Loki's attention immediately was a pair of intelligent, striking blue eyes. The tall man they belonged to tipped his head back slightly and took a deep breath. Loki strode inside with an intrigued smirk. The man was lean and poised and elegant. Sophistication melted off of him in waves and Loki had never felt more magnetised in his life. The turn the day had taken was very welcome.

"Up or down?" Loki asked, his voice smoky and deliberately seductive as he cocked a brow to the man now on his right. They were roughly the same height, yet Loki still managed to look down to him as the doors closed.

"Up," he responded, his voice deliciously deeper than Loki had expected. "Top floor."

Loki pushed the button to the top level of the hotel with a slender finger before straightening and holding his hands behind his back. Sparing a few moments to observe him, Loki's eyes roamed the man's dapper reflection in the lift's mirror. He wore a navy suit and a charcoal dress shirt underneath. No tie. The top button was undone. His body curved in and out, and cut straight at all the right places, making Loki ache to see beneath the creasing, dark suit.

Their reflections locked eyes and Loki grinned impulsively, blinking slowly before lifting his chin and scratching just beneath his jaw, showing off the chiselled jaw he knew he had. He was disguising his thumping heart with his brass confidence.

The man cleared his throat. "Are you staying? At the hotel, I mean."

"Indeed, I am," Loki said, casting the man a suggestive look from the corner of his eye. "I'm off to fetch my coat. There's a bistro across the way that looks rather decadent."

" _Cibo per l'anima_?"

Impressed at his practised tongue, Loki turned to look at him face-to-face. "Precisely. And what about you?"

"Work convention," the man sighed, running a hand through his dark hair as it shone like silk in the dim elevator light. Loki became aware of his long, ebony, slicked-back hairstyle and clenched a fist to quench the temptation to check its guaranteed tidiness.

"Sounds exhausting." Loki shook his head. "Care to join me instead?"

"I don't know you."

Smirking, Loki chuckled, "You could."

A minute of silence, wherein the man bit on his thumb, deep in thought, passed. Loki itched to throw him up against the wall and show him how much he wished they knew each other - but he resisted.

Finally, the man introduced himself as, "Doctor Stephen Strange," putting out his hand with an attractive smile.

Loki put his energy into the handshake, rather than the fantasies rolling through his mind. His hand was strong and slender, like Loki's. As he pulled away, he let his fingers tickle Stephen's wrist and linger on his palm.

"Loki," he told Stephen haughtily.

The corner of Stephen's lips turned upwards as he glanced between Loki's hand and eyes. 

"Just Loki?"

"For now."

The elevator doors opened with the customary _ding_ and the two men walked out simultaneously. They brushed shoulders. Loki didn't bother to move away to prevent it from happening again, and to his most pleasant surprise, neither did Stephen. 

Loki slipped his hands into his pockets as they made their way down the corridor. "What kind of doctor are you?"

Stephen straightened proudly. "Surgeon."

"Impressive. You've certainly got the demeanor for it."

Glancing at him with a furrowing brow, Stephen playfully demanded, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're arrogant and self-assured, clearly intelligent and witty. Exactly the kind of person I'd want to perform whatever... _operation_ is necessary on my body." 

Stephen sucked in a breath. Loki had hoped his wordplay would elicit a reaction, and satisfaction purred in his chest.

"Good to know."

They reached a pair of doors and both stopped - much to the other's astonishment. 

Loki laughed. "Well, neighbour, I'll meet you back here in a few."

Stephen inclined his head and unlocked his door before disappearing behind it.

Loki bit his lip, letting out a long, heavy breath. He was on Earth for a few more hours. He could at least enjoy himself.

It was midnight.

The evening had flown by and there was not a moment Loki could think of where he hadn't felt pleasure and excitement coursing through him. Drinks. Dinner. A kiss. A hotel bed.

He lay awake, staring in awe into the same eyes he'd seen for the first time behind the fateful elevator door merely a few hours earlier. They were so much less mysterious and guarded now, as he lay on top of the body to which they belonged. He was resting his chin on his hand that was settled on Stephen's chest, leaving their faces centimetres apart. A small smile played on his lips.

The moon shone through the window into the dark room, glinting in Stephen's eyes. Stephen trailed his touch over Loki's lower back and hip with one hand, and with the other he intertwined his fingers with Loki's, feeling the cool, soft skin against his.

Neither had to speak. Their feather-light touches and blissful breaths expressed how luxurious their stolen kisses were. How wonderful the electric spark of their tender tongues was on their necks. How the longing trace of their hands running through their hair made it so difficult to leave.

Loki reached forwards and captured Stephen's lips in a kiss. He shifted his torso up against the damp skin on Stephen's body. His lips were leisurely and passive, his sleepy movements infinitely warmer than any he'd ever orchestrated in his life before. 

With his mouth pressed openly to Stephen's, Loki revelled in the twist the evening had taken, even after his first encounter with the doctor. In the restaurant, they'd talked and bantered and seduced one another, yet as soon as Stephen had pushed Loki up against the door of his hotel room, the walls sealed their affections into envelopes of lust and the cravings for intimacy that ruled over them both. 

The two stayed, tangled in each others' arms for a couple more hours until Stephen fell asleep. Loki waited for his breathing to deepen before slipping out of the bed and phasing his suit back onto his body in the dawn light.

He twisted the doorknob and was about to pull it open when he sighed. He glanced back at Stephen. Unbeknownst to Loki's departure, he lay with a peaceful expression, his arm draped over nothing but the bed covers. Loki could still feel his skin tingling where it had held him. A moment's hesitation brought Loki's lips to Stephen's forehead. One last articulation of his affections.

Loki snapped the door closed, leaving Stephen and a piece of his heart behind in the hotel room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first part was painful for me to write. You're welcome.

"Hear me and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the great Titan. You may think this is suffering, but no. This is salvation! The universal scales tip toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile, for even in death, you have become Children of Thanos."

From the shadows, Loki watched as Ebony Maw walked through the carnage on the Statesman. Asgardian bodies lay mangled and wretched. Debris littered space as canons were continuously being fired at them from Thanos' ship. Loki's heart was thumping and pain shot through his temples. He turned his gaze upon the mighty purple Titan.

"I know what it's like to lose," Thanos sympathised. "To feel so desperately that you're right yet to fail, nonetheless. It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly."

Loki's breath hitched in his throat as Thanos picked Thor up by his chestplate and stepped forward. Minutes passed and Loki's terror grew. He couldn't watch his brother tortured and thus, displayed the Tesseract for Thanos. 

However, after beating both Thor and Hulk, Thanos had had enough. Ebony Maw restricted Thor with large pieces of metal covering his body and mouth, and Heimdall sent Hulk to Earth, angering Thanos into putting his own sword through the gatekeeper's chest. 

Thanos finally achieved his goal: placing the Space Stone into his gauntlet. He ordered his minions to go to Earth and acquire the rest of the Infinity Stones. They pledged, once again, their loyalty to his cause, before Loki decided to do something exceptionally stupid. 

"If I might interject," he said loudly, taking bold steps up to the Titan. "If you're going to Earth, you might want a guide. I do have a bit of experience in that arena." He gave Thanos a confident grin. 

"If you consider failure experience," Thanos mused.

Loki's smile dropped. "I consider _experience_ experience." 

He was breathing heavily. His heart beat like the humming of an insect's wings. "Almighty Thanos," he began. "I, Loki, Prince of Asgard, Odinson." He gave Thor a sad look. "The rightful king of Jotunheim, God of Mischief -" A dagger appeared in his left hand. "- do hereby pledge to you, my undying fidelity."

After a moment with his head bowed, Loki thrust the dagger up towards Thanos' massive neck but the Titan was too quick and used the powers of the Space Stone to fizzle his advances to an anticlimactic halt. 

"Undying? You should choose your words more carefully."

With one fist, Thanos grasped Loki's neck and pulled him up to meet his eyes. Loki thrashed, gasping for air as Thanos' hand strangled him. He struggled frantically.

His voice strained, Loki managed to mutter, "You will never be... a god."

And his neck cracked. His eyes remained open but he couldn't move. Pain throbbed in his neck and upper back as he hung helpless from Thanos' clutches.

A yell of, "No!" from Thor made his heart whine in his chest.

Thanos walked towards Thor as Loki's mind battled his body. He could think, he could see, he could process and he could feel - but he could not move. Thanos threw him roughly to the ground in front of his brother. Still, not a muscle moved of his own accord.

"No resurrections this time," Thanos growled. 

Using the Space Stone to escape, Thanos and his minions left Thor to huddle Loki's body while the Statesman exploded into smithereens and they were blasted apart.

Loki didn't know how much time had passed since the explosion. He was floating, unable to control his own body, gazing around at the endless void. The pain in his neck had numbed to a dull ache. 

A flash of light passed him and if he could, he would have growled in frustration at not being able to turn his head to see what it was. Thankfully, the light returned and he saw in elated surprise -

It was a woman.

She frowned down at him, her entire body glowing with orange, yellow and blue energy. Her blond hair fluttered in a non-existent breeze while she hovered next to him. Loki darted his eyes around, desperately trying to show her how alive he was. 

"You're in bad shape," she murmured, moving towards him. "But you're alive."

The woman slid her arms underneath him and drew him to her sparkling chest. With an exhale of relief, Loki closed his eyes.

Clattering woke Loki. Someone fiddling with metal. He opened his eyes and took a breath. A dim light shone over him from the dark ceiling. Thoughtlessly, he brought his hand to his chest. 

His heart skipped a beat. _I can move!_

He took in his surroundings. He was lying on a metal table. He wasn't bound or trapped. His clothing had been cleaned and his cape hung on a hook on the wall near him. His feet were bare. He cleared his throat and sat up. Dizziness took a hold of him and his vision blacked out for a moment.

"Woah there, buddy."

Hands grasped his shoulders and when he could see again, hard brown eyes stared into his. His eyes widened. It was the woman who'd rescued him.

"Who are you?" He croaked. 

The blond smiled and stepped away from him to place her hands on her hips. 

"Carol Danvers. No-one super special, I just, you know, saved your life."

He chuckled, leaning on the table with one hand as he swung his legs over the side. "Danvers," he greeted. "I thank you for your generosity. I am Loki."

"Just Loki?" 

The question was so subtle, so simple, and yet Loki's smirk faded as soon as the words left her mouth. It seemed like just yesterday he'd been in Venice, handing his love over to someone he could never hope to have.

"Loki Odinson of Asgard," he said quickly, covering up his hesitation. "What's with that whole glowing thing you do?"

Carol cocked a brow. "It's energy. I was caught in the middle of an explosion and it gave me these awesome powers." She lit up her hand and he watched as the rest of her body followed suit.

"Incredible," he murmured. He truly had never seen anything like it.

She extinguished the light and sighed, turning to him. "You're from Asgard? I know you."

"You do?" He frowned. 

"I've been to almost every planet in the universe. You trying to get the Chitauri to take over Earth for you and failing is quite well known."

"In my defense -"

"But I also know about Thanos."

He clenched his jaw. "Dark times in my life."

"Aren't you a god?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "It explains how you're still alive."

"The god of mischief," he chuckled. "Yes, that's me." He returned the cheeky grin she threw to him.

Slowly, he took a breath and tried to stand, wobbly. He stumbled quickly and with a gasp caught onto Carol's arm. She secured a good grip on him and helped him back onto the table. He heaved air into his lungs.

She rubbed her hand up and down his back, once. "Take it easy."

"You don't have something more comfortable than a cold metal table, do you?"

"Uh, yeah, I might," she murmured, glancing around the room. 

A moment later, a pillow was being pushed under his head. Loki closed his eyes and sighed.

"I would've thought you'd be celebrating."

Loki glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

"You just survived something fatal to everyone who was there except for you. If that's not some kind of personal victory, I don't know what is."

Humming in agreement, Loki stared up at the ceiling. "Earlier you reminded me of something. Someone, actually. And now... I can't get them out of my head." He turned his head to her with a lopsided, morose smile.

Carol crossed her arms. "What kind of someone?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"I was just wondering, you know," she said, amused, her smile perking up her face. "This person obviously means something to you and I'm asking whether it's a romantic something or a familial something or -"

"God, Danvers."

"Carol." 

He shot her an exasperated look. She raised an eyebrow tapping her finger on her arm.

"Romantic," he sighed, looking away. 

He saw her punch her fist in the air triumphantly. "Knew it!"

He crossed his arms and clenched his jaw, frustrated. "No need to rub happiness in the face of my broken heart, Danvers."

"Oh come on," she scoffed. "If this guy values you as much as you value him, don't you think he'd be looking for you?"

"It's not that simple."

Silence. Eventually, he heard footsteps coming towards him again.

"Anyway," he heard her say. Her head appeared above him, grinning. "You want something to eat?"

Suddenly he realised his aching stomach. 

"Please."

They were sitting in a commercial-looking kitchen, Loki on the counter and Carol on an upside down rubbish bin, eating a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches, when something began to beep.

Loki continued eating. Carol on the other hand, stopped and her eyes widened. She scrambled out of the room and a moment later appeared with a device in her hands.

"Oh my god."

Loki frowned, swallowing a bite of his sandwich before asking, "What is it?"

"Do you know who Nick Fury is?"

Loki slid off the counter and ambled towards her, leaning on whatever he could to give himself more strength. At least now he could stand on his own.

"I do."

Carol caught his eye. "He paged me. Something is happening on Earth. We have to go."

Loki narrowed his eyes. "Thanos. He's done something. He was collecting the Infinity Stones - but for what purpose..." He shot her a fearful look. "I'm not sure."

"The power he would hold with those Stones..." Carol trailed off, the truth of her statement instilling a paralysing fear in both of them. She took a breath. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"I recovered from a broken neck and severed spinal cord, Danvers. I'll be fine."

She pursed her lips. "Grab your stuff. Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a few technical errors whilst writing this, so I apologise for the wait.

The compound was dark and quiet, and immediately, Loki knew something was _very_ wrong. He exchanged a cautious look with Carol as they walked inside. He expected guards or some kind of alarm but there was nothing. Their arrival was merely another spanner in the works of a defeated machine.

A muffled voice reached them through the many thick layers of glass. A head of blond hair and broad shoulders made Loki's heart stop for a moment - could it be? Thor - ? 

The man behind the glass turned and instead of feeling relief in any way, Loki's stomach churned in anxiety. Steve Rogers. 

"This is a nightmare," he said, making Carol look at Loki with a mildly panicked expression.

A woman, different to how Loki remembered her, with short almost white hair stood up to the screens Steve had been gazing at. Natasha Romanoff.

"I've had better nightmares," she murmured. 

Carol put a hand out in front of Loki when he leaned forward to walk and shook her head. He sighed quietly and they remained in the shadows.

A man neither of them recognised walked in, a strange contraption strapped to his legs.

"Hey," he called to the two Avengers. "So that thing just stopped doing whatever it was doing."

This was getting weirder and weirder.

Footsteps softer than feathers on the hardwood floors, Loki and Carol followed them into another room, a sort of laboratory, where they met with someone Loki _did_ recognise: Bruce Banner. He appeared to be observing a small device in a glass cabinet. Loki heard Carol's breath hitch when her eyes heeded the little electric appliance.

"Whatever signal it was sending," Bruce said to them, his voice beaten and frustrated. "Finally crapped out."

"I thought we bypassed the battery." Steve crossed his arms. All four of them now had their backs to Loki and Carol. 

"We did. It's still plugged in, it just... stopped."

"Reboot it. Send the signal again."

"We don't even know what this is."

Natasha sighed. "Fury did." 

Loki peeked Carol balling her fists next to him. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Just do it please. And you tell me the second you get a signal. I wanna know who's on the other end of that thing." 

Letting out a huff of annoyance, Carol shrugged out of Loki's grip and strode up to them, nostrils flared, just as Natasha turned around.

"Where's Fury?" She asked.

Introductions brought the group, now six, to the conference room table. It seemed nobody knew Carol, much to her distaste. However, her new blood was welcomed. 

Now the conversation was turning to Loki.

"Does Thor know you're alive?"

Loki stared at Steve in astonishment. " _Thor's_ alive?"

"Yes, of course he is - "

" _Brother?_ " Came a deep, incredulous voice from the doorway. 

Loki turned to see Thor himself, tatty and distraught and nowhere near as regal as normal. 

"You didn't get blown up?" Loki asked, standing, his eyes wide.

"Thanos didn't snap your neck?"

Loki grinned. "Actually, he did - "

"But you're not - not dead?"

"He should've used a more fatal method of murder. Most can recover from a severed spinal cord, I mean, really," he scoffed. The two brothers gazed in wonder at each other. "I, uh, didn't fake my death either, I swear to you."

"I - I believe you," Thor murmured. Loki's heart twisted at the wetness of his brother's eyes. 

"Thor - "

An enormous bear hug interrupted him and squished the air out of his lungs. Loki squeezed his eyes shut and hugged Thor back, his strength ferocious around the god's body.

His heart soared, just for those few moments. Thor was alive. The day didn't seem so dark.

Hours stretched into days. Leaving Loki alone to try and find Tony and Nebula, Carol eventually arrived back with them and the ship they'd been staying in. Even Loki was surprised at Tony's horrific state. Including Stark, every nook and cranny of the universe was desolate and miserable. It was killing him. 

Loki decided to make himself scarce, unable to bring any bad feelings to a group that had been so horrendously ripped apart. He kept to himself. Only Carol could elicit even a small chuckle from him on a good day. 

Today was the first he joined the group for a meeting. The conference room was filled with projections from the screen of every person aliased with the Avengers who'd been snapped out of existence. Though he knew it wasn't the first time the team had watched the flickering screens and the names that burned their eyelids, he only now took note of each person who'd become a victim of Thanos, as he himself had.

"It's been twenty-three days since Thanos last came to Earth," the man Loki now knew as Rhodes, said, but Loki wasn't quite paying attention.

Striking, churning blue eyes screamed out at him from one of the holograms. The man's face had changed. He had facial hair, something Loki'd never even imagine would work on him but found that it did. Grey streaks of wavy hair were slicked to the sides of the man's head. His name appeared beneath him: Stephen Strange.

But the image was gone before Loki could even begin to process what he'd seen. After so long... Loki could have had the chance to see him again. And yet, once more, Thanos had snatched happiness from him.

He heaved in a breath, visions of Stephen's soft skin and warm smile attacking his mind. Not many days had gone by when he'd not thought of the handsome doctor. But this. This nostalgic, winding, crashing feeling was something he'd never had before. 

"The world's governments are in pieces," Natasha was saying. "The parts that are working, are trying to take a census, and it looks like he did exactly what he said he was gonna do."

He glanced at Carol as Fury's image came up. She let out a breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Thanos wiped out fifty percent of all living creatures."

Loki crossed his arms and frowned at the ground. His heart throbbed. He was feeling a loss of someone who was never his. Not once had he fallen so hard. Not able to climb back up again.

Stark, an IV in his spindly arm, dropped his hand to the table and stared expectantly between Steve and Natasha.

"Where is he now, huh? Where?"

"We don't know," Steve told him. "He just opened a portal and walked through."

"What's wrong with him?" Stark pointed at Thor, and Loki bristled. His brother had had a tough a time already, he did not need Stark on his back now.

"Oh, he's pissed," Rocket said from his slouched position on the floor. Stark gave him a dropped-jaw look. "He thinks he failed. Which, of course, he did but there's a lot of that going around, ain't there?"

"Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear."

"Maybe I am."

His anger rising, Loki clenched his jaw. "Can we focus?"

Steve nodded to him. "We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now. Deep space scans and satellites. But we got nothing." He settled his gaze on the man with the IV. "Tony, you fought him."

"Who told you that? I didn't fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street magician gave away the store," he added, making Loki's frown deepen. _Bleecker Street magician?_ "That's what happened. There was no fight, 'cause he's not beatable."

"Okay," Steve conceded. "Did he give you any clues? Any coordinates, anything?"

Tony scoffed. "Uh - " he made an unpleasant spluttering sound. "I had this vision a few years back. Didn't wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming."

"Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus - "

"And I _needed_ you. As in, past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late, buddy. Sorry." Struggling, he tried to get up. Loki watched in slight disgust as Stark stuck his fuming glare on Steve.

"You know what I need? I need a shave! And I remember telling all youse -" he pulled the IV out of his arm. "- alive and otherwise, that what we needed was a suit of armour around the world. Remember that? Whether it impacted our _precious freedoms_ or not! That's what we needed."

Steve took a concerned step towards him. "Well, that didn't work out, did it?"

"I said we'd lose. You said, 'We'll do that together too.' And guess what, Cap? We lost. And you weren't there. But that's what we do right? Our best work _after_ the fact? We're the _Avengers_ not the _Prevengers_?"

Rhodes took Tony by the arms as he struggled to get all up in Steve's face, and Loki decided he'd had enough. This meeting wasn't going anywhere, so he walked out without a word.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long! The last few weeks have just flown by. Hope you enjoy!

A few minutes after his abrupt departure from the meeting, Loki sat himself down at a table near the kitchen, ignoring the raised voices from the conference room. He gazed at the dark wood and rubbed his top lip with his index finger, deep in thought. Stephen's face was stuck in his mind; beautiful and stoic and _gone_. 

Sighing, he phased his clothing from his uncomfortable battle armour into black and green robes. Lost the cape too. He ran his hands through his hair and closed his eyes.

_What I'd give to be back in Venice._

Pulled out of his trance by loud footsteps, Loki looked up to see Carol walking towards him and Natasha behind her.

"Hey," Natasha called out to her. "You know, we usually work as a team around here, and uh, between you and I, morale's a little fragile."

Oh, and Steve's here too. Joy.

"We realise up there is more your territory but this is our fight too."

Loki sighed. "Do you even know where he is?" He glanced at Carol.

"I know people who might."

A lower, sadistic voice echoed across the room from Loki's left. "Don't bother. I can tell you where Thanos is."

Nebula. Loki knew her from his days with Thanos. Yet they hadn't had even one conversation. The sight of her merely brought back bad memories, blurry and silent. They were behind him, but he'd forever be damaged by them.

Their hope grew with Nebula's insight and knowledge about her father. The Garden was where he'd be. Power surges similar to those of when he'd used the Stones on earth told them exactly where they'd find him.

Loki felt the tension and misery mutate into excitement and anticipation of the undoing of this tragedy Thanos had placed upon them. He himself began seeing the opportunities of relief their broken plan would unleash.

"Look," Rhodes said, sighing. "He's still got the Stones, so..."

"So let's get them," Carol gushed. "Use them to bring everyone back."

"Just like that?" Loki asked, frowning.

"Yeah," Steve replied. "Just like that."

"Even if there's a small chance that we can undo this," Natasha pondered, eyeing each person. "I mean, we owe it to everyone who's not in this room to try."

"If we do this," Bruce said reluctantly. "How do we know it's going to end any differently than it did before?"

"Because before you didn't have us." Carol put her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrow at Loki, who shrugged in agreement.

"Hey, new girl," Rhodes snapped. "Everybody in this room is about that superhero life. And if you don't mind my asking, where the hell have you been all this time?"

"There are a lot of other planets in the universe. And unfortunately, they didn't have you guys."

Loki smirked, but before he could utter another word in Carol's defense, he saw his brother get up from his modest position on the far side of the room. He approached Carol with a sigh. Loki watched her lips turn up into a smug smile. He recognised the respect in Thor's eyes.

Stormbreaker whizzed past Carol's head and into Thor's outstretched hand. The woman didn't even flinch.

"I like this one," he murmured, leaning on his axe.

Carol grinned.

Loki snorted, rolling his eyes at his brother's dramatic announcement. He glanced back to Steve. The soldier looked around the group, determination in his eyes.

"Let's go get this son of a bitch."

Soon enough, the group was in the Guardians' ship and sped through the jump to The Garden. Loki was sweating and his anxious eyes darted around the ship at the Avengers' determined, unflinching faces. Thanos hadn't broken _their_ necks. 

Carol found nothing on her quick survey of the territory surrounding the mad Titan and got back with surprise laced in her stare.

"No satellites, no ships, no armies - no ground defences of any kind. It's just him."

After glances of surprise were exchanged, Nebula stared straight ahead. She had a similar fear in her eyes to Loki. "And that's enough."

"The stones are GONE!" Loki yelled, glaring at the ground. He kicked the leg of the table and it lurched across the room. 

"Loki, we know," Steve told him, reaching out a hand to lay it on his shoulder. The kindness in his eyes was unsettling and Loki moved away. "We'll figure out a way -"

"Cap, there's no way," Banner murmured, face in his hands. "There is no way we can get those stones back."

"I came here because I thought you lot would be able to bring everyone back. Now, look at you! Complete and utter failures!" Loki snarled at the group.

"Hey, last time I checked you were on this team too," Natasha countered, crossing her arms.

Loki snorted. "Yeah, well, not anymore. Count me out for any of your future endeavours." He glanced at Thor's grieving eyes. "I'm leaving."

"Loki!" He heard Carol shout as he slipped around the corner of the passage. "Where are you going?"

He didn't bother to look back. "Venice!" 

**_FIVE YEARS LATER_ **

Venice sunsets were exquisite. The clouds burst into flame and the sky was splashed with blue and orange. The still-warm sun glowed on Loki's pale skin as he frowned, heeding the reflection of the sun on the water beneath him. The stone bridge was sturdy. Stable. Hard, and cold. 

He kicked the cobble rim at the base of the railing, clenching his jaw. _Look on the bright side_ , Valkyrie continued to hammer into him. He saw her every few months at the most, yet she still managed to piss him the hell off. He scoffed at the very thought. His brother was a gaming, junk-eating alcoholic; Loki himself lived alone in an unfamiliar city; and he'd swung right past love possibly to never find it again.

Bright. He rolled his eyes.

Sighing, Loki pulled the elastic band out his hair and let the dark, tatty locks fall over to the side of his face. He pulled at a few split ends before his gaze was snatched by a thread unravelling from a seam on his black long-sleeve shirt rolled up to his elbows. He yanked it off with a surge of irritation. 

He closed his eyes, pursing his lips and letting his arms flop at his sides. He tipped his head back and pouted up to the darkening sky. Night was approaching and a chill was settling in the air. He glanced back at the tall building to his right, roughly painted a sandy colour. _Home._

Hands in his pockets, he walked down the street with his eyes on the ground. Every day was the same. He felt stagnant and unimproved, stuck in the tragedy of The Blip. Everyone was feeling like that, and he knew it, but it didn't make it any better for him. 

All he looked forward to now was dusk. The beginning of the night. That insufferably bright orange that bled into black-blue like a mangled fist into bruised skin. He ached for the moon, the allowance of dreams and subconscious memories of what used to be to resurface, a gift of joy and nostalgia in between the emptiness and longing.

Loki locked the door behind him and his fingers began the journey down his shirt, unbuttoning it, then discarding it to the floor. His belt snapped as it hit the table, and his trousers got caught up in his shoes as he flicked them off. His eyes fixed onto his comfortable, redeeming bed and the soft covers. 

He collapsed into them and brought the blankets up to his chin, willfully closing his eyes and begging for sleep. He squeezed his eyes closed and tucked himself in, snuggling his pillow.

Nothing.

He flipped onto his back in frustration and glared at the ceiling.

He wanted _one_ thing. One. Yet the universe refused to give him that ounce of bliss he craved. 

But before he could curse the universe with another word, his phone rang. He swallowed thickly. That never happened.

He ignored his fervent heart beating in his chest and ambled to his kitchen counter where he'd haphazardly dropped his cellphone. He picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Loki, it's Cap."

"Why are you calling me?"

"We've found a way to bring everybody back."

"It won't work, Rogers. Goodbye." He removed the phone from his ear with a tense hand. A loud shout of his name brought it reluctantly back.

"Loki, this is real. It's _possible_ , and we could use your help."

"Is Danvers coming?"

"Well, no -"

"Then absolutely not, Rogers. What is it anyway?"

"Tony figured out a way to navigate the quantum realm."

Loki huffed a breath out. "Time travel?"

"Exactly."

He shook his head. "It's not going to work," he insisted. "I am _not_ embarking on another one of your stupid quests only for it to fail once again, Rogers! No. I'm sorry, but you will not be receiving my help."

He heard a static, "You'll regret that, Reindeer Games," from the other end of the phone as he put it down. Stark. He wasn't completely useless but... time travel? That wasn't possible. 

Loki balled his fists and glowered at the phone, now back on the table. Humans were so frustrating. He'd kill to be back on Asgard without all these infuriating mortals hindering his existence. 

He returned to bed.

_But what if it did work?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry for the long wait! School and vacation got in the way, and then, of course, writer's block struck. Enjoy!

**_Venice_ **

Loki sat with his arms around his knees, his back against his headboard and his eyes glued to the flaky painted wall opposite his bed. He couldn't sleep. His eyelids drooped and he yawned at least once every five minutes but his mind was electric, his thoughts racing.

His heart was aching for his phone to ring, for Steve to tell him their plan had been a success. But how could it? The whole idea was far-fetched, Loki knew that. It killed him, this hope. It snatched pieces of his sanity away.

He shivered. Goosebumps spread across his bare back. His eyes swayed to his phone again.

It started buzzing.

Apart from his eyes widening, Loki didn't budge. He stared and stared. Then -

_Answer it, dammit!_

And he jumped off the bed and pressed "answer".

"Thought you weren't gonna pick up," came a deep, cheerful voice.

"F - Fury?"

"That's me, now, look - "

"But how did you - how are you alive? Did - did Rogers' plan work?"

"Sure did," Fury chuckled. "Now I hope you're not sleepin' cause we've gotta kick Thanos' ass again. You up for it?"

"Thor decapitated him, he's gone."

"Yeah, our present Thanos is gone but Thanos from the past came back to get revenge."

"So there's gonna be what? A battle?"

"You betcha. There'll be a jet arriving for you in the next minute. It'll take you to Wakanda where you'll join Wanda, T'Challa and Wilson in the portal going to the battlefield. Follow Wanda, she's got the full plan. I don't got the time to tell you 'bout it now."

"I'm on my way."

He put the phone down, his heart racing and thundering and weeping inside him. He could see Stephen today. He was intrigued to meet Wanda as well, upon hearing of her power from Thor as he got caught up, she sounded like someone he'd like.

He took a deep breath and phased into his battle armour once more. It was the first time since the incident at the Garden. He shook out his hands and rolled his shoulders. The whizzing of an aircraft could be heard from outside.

It's game time.  
  
  


Time wasn't on their side. Loki arrived in Wakanda sharply, met the team, and was ushered through a portal with Wanda. The battlefield was barren of anything but rubble and blood. His eyes caught Cap's as the soldier stood alone, staring at the gathering army in awe, a smile taking over his face.

With a determined pride, Loki slid his helmet on and climbed a mound of rubble, surveying Thanos' army and the destruction. Last time he'd faced Thanos head-on, he hadn't had nearly as much support and he felt his confidence skyrocket as he glanced behind him. The Avengers, his brother, the Guardians, though no Carol and he suspected there was a reason for that, the Wakandan army, all the sorcerers -

His heart stopped.

There he was.

Stephen Strange stood braced with his magic mandalas, talking to a stout, dark-haired man. His lip was cut and his cloak was dusty but flowing beautifully. Loki let out a breath of disbelief. He didn't realise someone could change so much in such a short period of time.

He barely had time to catch his breath when a loud, commanding voice echoed,

"Avengers, assemble!"

The charge began, and hastily, Loki joined, though his mind swirled and his muscles moved detached from his conscience. His heart raced as his fists flew, slicing through Thanos' alien soldiers like they were butter. Yet still, his eyes searched for Stephen. Memories began to resurface, forcing his heart up his throat and he stumbled. His enemy overwhelmed him and forced him to the floor, it's extraterrestrial ferocity snapping at his face while he tried desperately to defend himself in spite of his distracted senses.

In a matter of seconds, the weight was gone and nothing but dust hovered above Loki's body. He staggered up, seeing red flash past. He spun around and came face to face with Stephen, almost jumping out of his skin.

"Fancy seeing you here," Stephen said gruffly. His lips perked up slightly into a smirk.

Loki was frozen. He blinked a few times and opened his mouth to speak, only to find his vocal cords motionless. All he could do was heave air in and out of his lungs, staring into Stephen's storm-blue eyes like he was seeing nothing else.

"Watch out!" Stephen shouted as a group of Chitauri warriors pounced into their space.

Wrenched apart, Loki still hadn't uttered a word to Stephen. He growled, decapitating a particularly gnarly looking warrior in frustration at his cowardice. His determination obliterated all around him in a ripple of emerald magic and he stood huffing with balled fists, glaring at the rubble, aching for a glance at that red cloak.

Bottling his thoughts for the moment, he continued to fight and eventually found himself alongside Wanda. He found her to be impressive and powerful despite her obvious ignorance to the depth of her power. Still, he enjoyed having her at his heel.

"You know," he shouted to her over the snarls and screeches of battle. "If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't have those powers."

"That so?" She laughed, splitting an alien down the middle right in front of Loki's face. He screwed up his nose in distaste.

"I brought the Mind Stone to Earth."

"Why're you telling me this?"

Loki shrugged, sending her a casual look as the waves of warriors lulled. "Entertainment."

She stared at him, incredulous, and cocked her hip. "This isn't entertaining enough for you?"

"I've fought in many battles in my life, darling. This one doesn't even appear in my top ten." He sent her a wink.

Over the next few minutes, Loki found himself fighting alone again. His limbs were beginning to ache and he scanned their troops. His eyes brightened as he watched their army slowly defeating their enemies.

"Cat got your tongue?" That gruff voice teased as Loki took refuge behind a large piece of concrete sticking up out of a pile of debris.

"You caught me off guard," Loki replied, catching Stephen's eye.

The sorcerer regarded Loki with a neutral expression. "I didn't know you were a god when we met."

"When'd you become a magician?" Loki countered.

Stephen scowled. "I prefer Master of the Mystic Arts."

"You didn't answer my question."

"A tragic accident a few years ago made me rethink my life and led me onto the path destiny intended me to follow."

Loki couldn't help commenting, "Poetic," with a grin.

There was a sudden seriousness in Stephen's eyes, sending a jolt of nerves up Loki's spine.

"What did that night mean to you?"

Loki licked his lips, heart thumping. "It was more than I'd ever expected it to be."

That seemed to surprise Stephen, who softened, and Loki could now see the intelligent curiosity brewing in his gaze.

Once again, their interaction was interrupted - and they needn't have been surprised, they were at war after all - but this time by incessant firing from Thanos' ship. Stephen threw up a shield above the two of them and Loki found himself pressed to Stephen's side beneath it. They made eye contact, breathing heavily. Loki could've sworn Stephen's stare had dropped to his lips.

Mere moments had passed before the firing ceased, Stephen disappeared, and Loki saw his closest friend for the first time in five years plunging through Thanos' ship like a nuclear missile.

Carol Danvers.

He grinned, a euphoric state of hope overtaking him as he once again got stuck in the throw. He watched Carol make her way through the battleground out of the corner of his eye. She had the gauntlet, then didn't, then fought Thanos, then stopped, and soon Loki couldn't keep up. All this fighting didn't seem to be moving forward. Endless and tiring despite his hope.

Loki pushed a Chitauri warrior off himself before impaling him and stumbled into the shadows of a clearing on the desolate field. He glanced around to see the clearing empty except for two - Thanos and Stark. Stephen crouched on the other side. He nodded to Loki. Slowly, with his eyes set on Thanos and Tony, Loki ambled his way around towards Stephen. Tony clutched the gauntlet on Thanos' arm, but the Titan broke free, sending Tony flying.

"Why aren't you helping?" Loki asked as he reached Stephen, crouching beside him.

"I've seen every alternate future to this moment. If I interfere... we won't win."

Loki gulped and watched Thanos as he prepared to snap his fingers. He had no idea what Stephen had seen but he trusted him, no matter how bad this was beginning to look.

"I am inevitable," Thanos announced. He snapped his fingers, but they had no effect.

Tony on the other hand knelt in the dirt a few meters away with his forearm held up to show the six Infinity Stones embedded in his armour. His breathing was laboured as his mortal form tried to maintain the power of the stones.

"And I," Tony gasped. "Am... Iron Man."

And he snapped his fingers.

Thoughtlessly, Loki grabbed a hold of Stephen's arm. He only realised he'd done it when Stephen manoeuvered his grip to his hand instead. Their fingers locked desperately. Loki shot him a longing look.

One by one, Thanos and his army dusted away. Tony, clearly fatally wounded by the power of the Infinity Stones, fell to the ground. Half his armour had been decimated and his skin blackened.

Loki felt the adrenaline ebb away as his legs became wobbly. He leaned a little on Stephen while they watched the Avengers gather around Tony. He knew what the stones had done to him. He could hear the grief that echoed in Peter's voice, see it in the creases in Peppers face, and feel it in the still air.

Stephen sighed beside him.

Tony was dead.  
  
  


Loki kicked stones out of his path as he walked with Stephen through the battlefield. They'd removed Tony's body. The Avengers were a mess; their threshold for tragedy having broken. This was how it was meant to be, Stephen had told him. It was the only way they could defeat Thanos.

"What was it like?" Loki mumbled, glancing at Stephen. "Being snapped away for five years?"

"Like closing my eyes and opening them again. It was painless. Uneventful."

"Unaging," Loki added.

Stephen chuckled, before they once again lapsed into silence.

"I don't know if this is the right time to say this," Loki began, focusing on the ground in front of them. "So stop me if it isn't."

"Alright."

"That night in Venice. It changed me. _You_ changed me. And, dare I say it, I fell in love with you."

Stephen stopped and pulled Loki up in front of him. His eyes were wide, but not surprised like Loki thought they'd be.

Stephen's voice came out wispy and nostalgic. "When I woke up and saw you gone, I hated you. I hated you for leaving, for not taking me with you... for lots of things. But mainly because you'd shown me what I never realised I'd been missing, and -" He frowned, and began to laugh. "- and I just spilled my guts out to you -"

Terrified of him withdrawing, Loki snatched his hands into his own. "No, don't do that. Don't ruin this. I wanted to come back. I wanted to get rid of the guilt I felt for abandoning you, but I felt shame at leaving and at falling for you so quickly."

Stephen stared at him, dumbstruck for a few seconds. "This is so new and unexplored."

"We'll get through it together. I'm handing my heart over to you, Stephen Strange."

The sorcerer donned a smile worthy of the sun's brightest rays. "You've had mine since that one midnight in Venice."


End file.
